I tried mine both ways and ended
up using a full receiver so I could
change the camera if I wanted. There
are connections provided for Spektrum
satellites, Futaba S.Bus, and a standard
receiver block. A connector block is also
provided.

The manual lists all of the suggested
settings for control throws, etc., for each
major radio brand. If yours isn’t listed,
it to your own situation.

Layout

The flight controller is a nicely
designed device that has everything
clearly labeled and laid out in an
orderly fashion. The instruction manual
has an excellent picture of the board,
labeling all the pertinent items (check
for updates because the first manual
had a couple of misprints).

At first glance, it appears that it’s
an “all-in-one” board, but that’s not
the case. I see that as a plus for the
Vengeance 280. It does incorporate the
on-screen display board, but the video
transmitter (VTX) board is a separate
assembly mounted above and to the
rear of the quadcopter.

The ESCs are mounted inside of the
carbon-fiber arms and connected to
each corner of the flight controller with
plugs. No soldering is necessary if you
need to replace an ESC.

All dip switches and connectors
are clearly labeled and accessible
through cutouts in the frames. In
other words, you don’t have to remove

50 screws to make simple changes!

Whoever designed this had apparently
experienced the frustration of having to
completely disassemble a quad to make
a change. Nicely done!

The VTX is a highlight of this
machine. As it comes, it’s set to
transmit a 25-milliwatt signal, but that
can be changed to 200 milliwatts by
cutting a jumper. The biggest feature
for me was finding a set of dip switches